Modern motor vehicles are designed to respond appropriately to different types of possible frontal impacts, such as low-speed impacts or “parking impacts”, at speeds of between 2.5 and 4 kph (ECE42), medium-speed impacts or “repairable impacts”, at speeds of about 16 kph (Danner) and high-speed impacts, at speeds of between 56 and 65 kph.
Modern motor vehicles are also designed to protect pedestrians in pedestrian impacts, and in particular to protect the legs and hips of the pedestrian.
It is possible to provide a front assembly comprising an upper metal bumper beam fixed to the ends of front upper longitudinal members of a high channel (main shafts) by means of first metal impact absorbers attached to the upper bumper beam, and a lower bumper beam fixed to the ends of front lower longitudinal members of a low channel (cradle extensions) by means of second metal or plastics material impact absorbers attached to the lower bumper beam.
However, such a front assembly is complicated and costly to manufacture and install.
An object of the present invention is to propose a front assembly which can respond appropriately to pedestrian impacts and to low- and medium-speed impacts, while being simple and having a low manufacturing cost.